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Holding Bob Emrich accountable #glaadcap

To beat the drum against marriage equality, Maine's Bob Emrich—one of the co-heads of the 2009 campaign to overturn marriage equality in the state and the chair of the effort to stop it there this year—placed an Op-Ed in the Bangor Daily News in which he pretended his interest is solely in policy as it pertains to child welfare. Only thing? Those of us who have an interest in holding commentators accountable know a completely different side of Bob Emrich—one that is fully committed to telling society that gay people can and should "change." Let's examine.

Emrich says, beginning in the second line of his BDN commentary:

The debate is not whether same-sex couples should be able to live as they wish or love whom they choose. But marriage is about far more than what adults want for themselves. It’s about what children need.

Marriage provides in large part a mechanism to provide for the next generation. It is society’s bond with children. It says to children that we as a community have recognized a structure, the institution of marriage, that is uniquely focused on connecting children to the people responsible for bringing them into the world — their parents. Indeed, marriage is our only institution that is focused on children in this way.

Were it not for the interests of children, society (read, government) would have no interest in marriage at all. Adults do not need a social institution to “recognize” their relationships. Adults are able to reach their own agreements, to negotiate their own relationship terms and to decide for themselves how they will handle their relationships. But children are not so fortunate.

Bob's message to the locals who may be reading is that he is someone who is simply focused on how the government recognizes this particular institution. He says that "same-sex couples should be able to live as they wish or love whom they choose," because he knows that the vast majority of Mainers—even Mainers who are not necessarily in support of marriage equality at this time—support the LGBT people in their communities, in their families, in their workplaces and in their social circles. Emrich also knows that the bright lights of a campaign are rolling around soon, thus he sees a need to play the pragmatic public role that he knows will play better in both punditry and polling.

Then there was the time back in 2009 , while the debate over the so-called "Kill The Gays Bill" was being debated in Uganda and worldwide, Emrich -- who had just returned from one of his many trips to the African nation -- sent an email to his supporters wherein he pushed an article that praised a "brilliant MP" for coming up "with a Bill against homosexuality." The bill Emrich referenced/supported was the same one that calls for the death penalty as punishment for being gay in some cases. So according to Emrich, Maine's same-sex couples can love whom they choose, but Uganda's should be jailed - or worse.

But perhaps more pertinent here is the unassailable FACT that Bob also routinely proves that his advocacy goes beyond marriage and into "changing" gay people.

This is not a body of rhetoric that tells LGBT people that this man is supportive of us being "able to live as [we] wish or love whom [we] choose." He has come right out and admitted that he wants us to "overcome." That goes waaaaaaaaay beyond marriage policy and instead cuts right into LGBT people's cores. And if those are the stated beliefs, then those in the media who cover Bob Emrich and his work need to help flesh out the honest record that Mr. Emrich has himself put on the record!

Bob's voice is very prominent in the state of Maine. Our accountability efforts must be just as bold.

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GLAAD rewrites the script for LGBT acceptance. As a dynamic media force, GLAAD tackles tough issues to shape the narrative and provoke dialogue that leads to cultural change. GLAAD protects all that has been accomplished and creates a world where everyone can live the life they love.more about GLAAD >>